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Poughkeepsie Shuffle
Jeff Nichols � a man strong of conviction but weak of character � is fresh out of the Don Jail, looking for work � any kind of work � and a way back into Ann Ryan’s good graces. She waited for his return from prison but is quickly running short on patience. An ex-inmate and friend gets Jeff a job at Ted Bracey’s used car lot, selling cars for commission only. But it’s not enough to keep him and Ann afloat in mid-80s Toronto, and the lure of easy money soon gets Jeff involved in smuggling guns from upstate New York. With that sweet Poughkeepsie cash, now he can keep his promises to Ann; he even buys them a house, but conceals the source of the money. As Jeff gets in deeper and deeper, everyone around him learns how many rules he’s willing to bend and just how far he’ll go to get on the fast track to riches. That he’s a guy who doesn’t let lessons from past mistakes get in the way of a good score.
- GenresCrime
280 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2018
36 people want to read
About the author
Dietrich Kalteis
22Ìýbooks117ÌýfollowersDietrich Kalteis is the critically acclaimed author of eleven novels and winner of the 2022 Crime Writers of CanadaÌýAward of Excellence forÌýBest Crime Novel for Under an Outlaw Moon. His first novel, Ride the Lightning, won the bronze medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2015. House of Blazes was his fourth novel and won the silver medal for Best Historical Fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2017. His screenplay Between Jobs is a past finalist in the Los Angeles Screenplay Contest. He enjoys life with his family on Canada’s West Coast.
Visit his website:
He regularly contributes at Off the Cuff:
And at 7 Criminal Minds:
You can also find him on Facebook:
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Visit his website:
He regularly contributes at Off the Cuff:
And at 7 Criminal Minds:
You can also find him on Facebook:
and Twitter:
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 12, 2018
Kalteis has delivered again with rock-solid, tightly tuned gritty Canadian crime fiction. What really stands out about this book is how tight the prose is, how a whole world of swagger and attitude is conveyed in each line. It’s miss-80’s Toronto and Jeff is an ex-con fresh out of the joint, with Ann impatiently waiting for him to get it together on the straight and narrow, get a 9 to 5 gig, but a house, pop out a few babies, and live happily ever after. But, no one is really hiring ex-cons except for a shady used car dealer who, in between taking money from suckers, gets the real money from running guns over the border. This car dealer isn’t just tied to some rough trade who want their guns, but the whole damn car lot is mortgaged to a guy who doesn’t exactly have the patience of Job and keeps upping the vig every time Ted is slow to pay or else maybe he sends some toughs over to send a message with a pair of garden shears through whoever is unlucky enough to be stuck late doing paperwork at the car lot.
This crime story just nails the era and the attitude and the wheeling and dealing and get rich quick schemes and the frustrations of Ann who doesn’t quite get how deep into the crap Jeff is going to climb. This is just a full-out masterpiece of grittiness. Absolutely loved it.
Many thanks to ECW for providing a copy for review.
This crime story just nails the era and the attitude and the wheeling and dealing and get rich quick schemes and the frustrations of Ann who doesn’t quite get how deep into the crap Jeff is going to climb. This is just a full-out masterpiece of grittiness. Absolutely loved it.
Many thanks to ECW for providing a copy for review.
November 5, 2019
Poughkeepsie Shuffle by Dietrich Kalteis is a fast-paced crime thriller with plenty of violence, double-crossing and smart remarks.
The novel follows Canadian Jeff Nichols, recently out of prison, as he tries to rekindle his relationship with his quickly growing impatient wife while creating an economically comfortable lifestyle. He soon finds employment as a used car salesman with a shady businessman, that quickly finds him inching back to a criminal lifestyle.
Kalteis quickly throws a number of characters at the reader which may lead to a bit of confusion until one is able to decipher who is who and which faction characters belong to.
Those who enjoy hardcore crime noir novels will enjoy this novel, especially when learning in the very opening pages, one recurring character is abducted and ends up having a pinkie finger clipped off by a hood handling a pair of pruning shears.
Kalteis' includes writing resembling Coen Brothers-like humor, which includes a couple of bungling thugs that just can't seem to get things done well.
This is my first read Detrich Kalteis novel and has created an interest in his other novels and short stories.
The novel follows Canadian Jeff Nichols, recently out of prison, as he tries to rekindle his relationship with his quickly growing impatient wife while creating an economically comfortable lifestyle. He soon finds employment as a used car salesman with a shady businessman, that quickly finds him inching back to a criminal lifestyle.
Kalteis quickly throws a number of characters at the reader which may lead to a bit of confusion until one is able to decipher who is who and which faction characters belong to.
Those who enjoy hardcore crime noir novels will enjoy this novel, especially when learning in the very opening pages, one recurring character is abducted and ends up having a pinkie finger clipped off by a hood handling a pair of pruning shears.
Kalteis' includes writing resembling Coen Brothers-like humor, which includes a couple of bungling thugs that just can't seem to get things done well.
This is my first read Detrich Kalteis novel and has created an interest in his other novels and short stories.
September 18, 2018
Kalteis’s best yet, evoking George Higgins in a story of a small-time ex-con in over his head. Starts with a jolt and maintains speed through a satisfying finish.
October 9, 2018
Do you like henchmen, flim-flam artists, ex-cons, gunrunners, killers and thieves? Then Poughkeepsie Shuffle is a must read. Dietrich Kalteis has a singular voice, with nuanced, noir flourishes that engage the reader, and make it impossible not to root for Jeff Nichols, his hapless anti-hero with a heart of gold.
Kalteis’s mightily flawed protagonist had been groomed for failure in the Canadian penal system. So, why change the only life you know? The deck is stacked against ex-cons, anyway.
Nichols loves a woman who was loyal when he was inside, and wants to fulfill her dreams of a normal life the only way he knows how. By breaking the law.
Nichols� life is a train wreck waiting to happen, but I happily strapped on my seat belt and went along for the nonstop ride, waiting for the carnage I knew was heading his way. Kalteis did not disappoint.
Kalteis’s mightily flawed protagonist had been groomed for failure in the Canadian penal system. So, why change the only life you know? The deck is stacked against ex-cons, anyway.
Nichols loves a woman who was loyal when he was inside, and wants to fulfill her dreams of a normal life the only way he knows how. By breaking the law.
Nichols� life is a train wreck waiting to happen, but I happily strapped on my seat belt and went along for the nonstop ride, waiting for the carnage I knew was heading his way. Kalteis did not disappoint.
October 7, 2018
The novel is cleverly-written in Kalteis’s signature clipped-to-the-quick phrases, with sentences that defy every grammar rule you were ever taught in school. Each scene is a short burst like the blast of automatic gunfire. The first scene, which features two thugs, a victim, and a pair of garden pruners, might leave you breathless, or at least, questioning whether you want to go on.
Read my full review on the Ottawa Review of Books.
Read my full review on the Ottawa Review of Books.
November 17, 2018
I know nothing about cars or guns. Add some bad grammar and the result is a bad book. This one is a book of nothingness. I felt nothing throughout the whole book. Not even anger for wasting time. I had high expectations. I did not see one bad review. At least it was a free copy from the library. Sounds like I have said the same thing before on a different book.
September 7, 2018
This book had plenty of ups and downs, kind of like my own life, only Poughkeepsie Shuffle had guns too. A lot of guns.
When it comes to Deitrich's writing, like his previous book Zero Avenue, there are plenty of scenes depicting life's ugliness in all its bruised glory. He's good at showing us that ugliness but it always comes with a bit of tough love. In Shuffle, we meet Jeff - a guy fresh out of jail looking to make a better life for him and his wife, only he ends up right back in the middle of the ugliness. Jeff's not a guy to back down from a fight, which isn't always a good thing when you boil it down. And this book is awesomely hard-boiled.
Fans of crime fiction can't go wrong with Dietrich Kalteis. We all know that. In my opinion, Poughkeepsie Shuffle is as good a place as any to start enjoying his writing if you've not picked up his work in the past. it's fast energy, mouthy, and bittersweet all rolled into one. Give it a go.
When it comes to Deitrich's writing, like his previous book Zero Avenue, there are plenty of scenes depicting life's ugliness in all its bruised glory. He's good at showing us that ugliness but it always comes with a bit of tough love. In Shuffle, we meet Jeff - a guy fresh out of jail looking to make a better life for him and his wife, only he ends up right back in the middle of the ugliness. Jeff's not a guy to back down from a fight, which isn't always a good thing when you boil it down. And this book is awesomely hard-boiled.
Fans of crime fiction can't go wrong with Dietrich Kalteis. We all know that. In my opinion, Poughkeepsie Shuffle is as good a place as any to start enjoying his writing if you've not picked up his work in the past. it's fast energy, mouthy, and bittersweet all rolled into one. Give it a go.
September 11, 2018
The author provided plenty of action and excitement in this thriller that kept me invested. I am definitely going to be seeking out more of the author's work.
September 5, 2018
Crime and struggles in mid-80s Toronto. Jeff thinks things are going to be ok when he goes to work for Ted Bracey. Not. Not only is he selling used cars, he's running guns over the border from the US. Not a good idea, not at all. His long suffering love interest Ann turns her head initially to the source of the money which is keeping them afloat but then things devolve and she has to deal with more than she expected. Hard to review without spoilers but this one is gritty and plot driven. The characters are entirely (sadly) believable and it's quite well written. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
May 19, 2019
It was the first time since I stepped through the Don's discharge area I could see the top of Shit Mountain, sure I was going to watch the shit rolling downhill for a change.
Dietrich Kalteis is one of my favorite crime writers for a reason. With POUGHKEEPSIE SHUFFLE he strikes again with his signature brand of Canadian historical crime fiction, this one set in moody 1980s Toronto where everyone is broke, desperate, and pissed off. This setting becomes as much a character as the many people who populate the book, and Kalteis has done an excellent job at creating snapshots of a city that, as a newcomer to Toronto myself, is familiar in geography but unrecognizable in atmosphere. Toronto has come a long way since, and Kalteis preserves the sense of this time and period with great attention and care.
Kalteis' writing style has always intrigued me; it's like if you took some samples of Elmore Leonard's writing, removed some of the lesser important words until it's tight as a fist, then switched the rhythm from jazzy backbeats to a rock 'n' roll swing. In POUGHKEEPSIE SHUFFLE, Kalteis has somehow tightened his writing up even more--there's not a syllable that hasn't been well considered--and the rhythm is a touch more aggressive, complimenting the dark and desperate tone of the story.
As for the story itself, suffice it to say you have your losers with good hearts, your losers with bad hearts, greedy crime bosses, violence, sex and romance, twists and turns, music and film references, and, of course, good ol' dark humor in spades.
Dietrich Kalteis is one of my favorite crime writers for a reason. With POUGHKEEPSIE SHUFFLE he strikes again with his signature brand of Canadian historical crime fiction, this one set in moody 1980s Toronto where everyone is broke, desperate, and pissed off. This setting becomes as much a character as the many people who populate the book, and Kalteis has done an excellent job at creating snapshots of a city that, as a newcomer to Toronto myself, is familiar in geography but unrecognizable in atmosphere. Toronto has come a long way since, and Kalteis preserves the sense of this time and period with great attention and care.
Kalteis' writing style has always intrigued me; it's like if you took some samples of Elmore Leonard's writing, removed some of the lesser important words until it's tight as a fist, then switched the rhythm from jazzy backbeats to a rock 'n' roll swing. In POUGHKEEPSIE SHUFFLE, Kalteis has somehow tightened his writing up even more--there's not a syllable that hasn't been well considered--and the rhythm is a touch more aggressive, complimenting the dark and desperate tone of the story.
As for the story itself, suffice it to say you have your losers with good hearts, your losers with bad hearts, greedy crime bosses, violence, sex and romance, twists and turns, music and film references, and, of course, good ol' dark humor in spades.
October 4, 2019
I picked this up because the idea of a crime story in mid-80s Toronto sounded appealing. The story revolves around an 40-something ex-con Jeff, who's fresh out of jail for car theft and trying to get on his feet working as a car salesman for a guy connected to a guy he knew in jail. Meanwhile, his girlfriend is giving him all kinds of grief about having a kid, buying a house, etc... In other words, a classic crime story setup.Ìý
Soon enough, Jeff is caught up in the mayhem surrounding his boss's outstanding debts and dealings in smuggling guns from the US across to border to arm a gang of drug dealers. There's a lot of effort made to try and channel Elmore Leonard -- unfortunately, none of it really lands. The characters are nowhere near as interesting (the female characters are given particularly short shrift), the patter nowhere near as amusing, and the plotting nowhere near as antic.Ìý
In other words, it's a pretty forgettable crime story that may have some very fleeting appeal to readers seeking a fictional window into 1980s Toronto, but those are about the only people I could recommend checking this out.Ìý
Soon enough, Jeff is caught up in the mayhem surrounding his boss's outstanding debts and dealings in smuggling guns from the US across to border to arm a gang of drug dealers. There's a lot of effort made to try and channel Elmore Leonard -- unfortunately, none of it really lands. The characters are nowhere near as interesting (the female characters are given particularly short shrift), the patter nowhere near as amusing, and the plotting nowhere near as antic.Ìý
In other words, it's a pretty forgettable crime story that may have some very fleeting appeal to readers seeking a fictional window into 1980s Toronto, but those are about the only people I could recommend checking this out.Ìý
January 29, 2020
What a cool name for a crime novel � Poughkeepsie Shuffle! I’ll have to admit I was looking for a break mentally when I picked up this book. It’s billed as a crime novel and a lot of fun. However the narration is quite dense in interesting word play and word choices, and I actually had to think quite a bit while reading. The author does a great job of setting the scene of the lowlifes who are trying to run guns across the border. I’ll have to admit I didn’t understand the dénouement very well. It could be because I was a little tired while reading this book. So it was an enjoyable book but not quite what I was looking for at the time.
May 11, 2019
In �80s Toronto, an ex-con trying to go straight gets involved with gun running and violence ensues. Poughkeepsie Shuffle is a fast-moving combination of crime caper and convincing character studies that are worthy of peak period Elmore Leonard.
November 20, 2018
A smooth crime novel set in 1980s Toronto from Canada's Elmore Leonard.
February 9, 2022
Canada's Elmore Leonard? No way! Not even close to Leonard in style, dialog or irony.
An overabundance of characters on the make and trying to be hard, but sadly missing the mark.
An overabundance of characters on the make and trying to be hard, but sadly missing the mark.
November 18, 2018
I like Kalteis. He writes a good hard boiled novel crime novel with echoes of Leonard. And his settings are different. If you are looking for something different in the crowded crime field, give him a try
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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